Watercolour for the Absolute Beginner: The Society for All Artists

Started trying to learn water colour painting. It' safe to say i'm more a logical person than an artisitc person, in fact I was terrible at Art :) However its something I've always wanted to do and started using you Tube vids to try and learn. I saw an MP program on TV and liked his teaching methods and the fact he was doing landscapes which is my particular interest. I wasn't convinced a book to teach this sort of subject well, but I've found it really useful and shows all the basic techniques. There is also trace and paint pictures with instructions which i'm more than half way through painting the Cornish Seascape one last night. Although i wasn't convinced half way through he does advise always taking a painting to the end and it actually came out quite good, no where near as good as shown in the book but i was pleasantly surprised with my efforts. The book does push his own paints etc but you don't have to use them and he does tell you the equivalents at the start of the book and show you how to mix paints, although given i may follow more of his painting tutorials i may just look at buying them. Overall as a teaching guide, given i'm hopeless at art I really like this book and has helped a lot, if you're a complete novice like me i'd definitely recommend.

I’m an absolute beginner to watercolour and can’t draw. With this book, I was still able to produce some wonderful paintings. Happy to recommend this book which has become my watercolour ‘bible’.

Great book. As a beginner to any kind of art, it's a nice book, with lots of variety.

I liked everything about this book and would thoroughly recommend it to beginners. The 'centre-fold' outlines, which you trace and which enable you to paint the projects without having to sketch them, are really useful if you are lacking drawing experience. The projects themselves are carefully graded and each is preceded by an exercise which enables you to practise the key skills that the project teaches. The instructions are clear and step-by-step. As someone who has never been able to draw and has always been pretty useless at art, the section on vanishing points and perspective was a complete revelation. I followed the instructions and my sketch of houses actually worked. It was like magic! The only thing I struggled with was getting the boat right - but that is me rather than the book I am sure! There are sections on equipment and all the main techniques you will need to learn as a beginner. I loved the book so much I signed up to the guy's website which is also great fun and really helpful. No, I am not related - not on commission - and have no vested interest!!

As it says great for beginners and giving inspiration

This book is just what you need to gain confidence as a beginner with water colour. It explains in a simple easy to understand way the techniques needed to produce gòod watercolour work. I have enjoyed working through this book and learned so much.

I'm new to watercolouring and bought several books aimed at teaching the novice how to set about producing something acceptable. I really, really can't draw, either ..... I love this book. Because I always try to trot before I can toddle, I've followed the tutorial on painting a tree and actually produced a picture that resembled the one in the book - and without copying it, too! (I'm trying to learn and improve by reading how to do something and then going away to put what I've read into practice, rather than slavishly copying the finished result in the book. For me, it's the best way to improve.) Now I intend to work my way through, more or less from the beginning. I can see that the sections on sketching might even lead to my stick figures resembling what they're meant to, which has never been true in the past. And when I feel ready to attempt something larger than A5, there are the line drawings to trace on to paper, so that I can try to follow the wonderful step-by-step tutorials. I can't wait. If I could have one wish it would be that the line drawings were A4, instead of landscape A3, but I'll probably attempt each half separately to see how I get on, as that way I can use A4 paper. I'm excited about the new hobby anyway but this book has probably tripled the level of "I can do this" I was feeling before it arrived.

The book is useful for a relative novice and the techniques for using watercolours are helpful. HOWEVER, he refers constantly to the watercolours and brushes he uses and sells for a ridiculous amount of money through the suggested website. I had already bought far cheaper colour blocks and therefore had to cobble together colours I assumed he was referring to. I didn't find this particularly helpful. Probably fantastic book if you can afford paints and brushes as well.

La verdad es que me ha sorprendido gratamente, sobre todo en las explicciones para gente que empieza como yo. Además, con sus plantillas y ayudas paso a paso, vas aprendiendo a familiarizarte con los diferentes materiales y técnicas aprendidas al principio del libro.

Excellent book for beginners.loved it.step by step instructions made watercoloring very easy.would definitely recommend and a must have book for watercolor enthusiasts.

satisfait de ce livre,il permet d,apprendre beaucoup sur la peinture en tant q,amateur,je le conseille fortement ,merci GJL07

Excellent book! I've purchased several technique books on landscapes and have always wound up with murky detail scapes instead. I saw this at a book store and finally made the decision to buy because of the 6 "projects" included in the book. These are towards the back half and include outlines PLUS pictured step by step breakdowns with about 30 steps each! I tried one of the more detailed exercises on trees tonight and was very pleased with the result compared to others I have done that wound up trashed! (See attached picture) Another thing I really appreciated was throughout the exercise it had instructions on brush sizes and paint %'s. Quite a few other books show you this in the beginning and then you are forced to go find how to make colors X, Y, and Z or look at pictures (sometimes not always on a step) for the brush types. All in all Mr. Palmer breaks down technique in a digestible form for beginners and I can't wait to learn more!

This book was recommended by my watercolour teacher. I have found it very useful. It clearly and simply explains techniques ever beginner needs to learn to improve their painting. I would recommend this void to anyone wanting to improve their artworks.